Snow Camping

 

Last weekend we backpacked Hannegan Peak. Previously we'd only done a day hike but the views were a bit socked in. This time it was all clear. We hiked up mid afternoon and found that the only places to camp were on the snow. I packed down a spot for our tent while Joshua looked skeptically on. The snow camping turned out to be no problem at all. We weren't cold and we didn't melt very far into the ground.

 

We also decided to attempt a snow fire that evening. Sharing some whiskey we took turns also running into tree wells to gather sticks and lichen. It took us over an hour of frequent fetching and blowing on it to establish a real flame but then it burned all night. The next morning when I checked out our pit it had melted to about 3' wide and over 3' deep which was pretty cool. That evening the moon was out of sight so the stars were populating every view. James took some cool long exposure star shots.

 

The next morning we hiked up to the top of Hannegan's Peak. It was a lot of tramping up snow which on the way back down turned into shoe skiing down the hills. The view was so clear and the wispy clouds only made it more beautiful. We spent too long admiring it and also acquired a sunburn, Joshua's is pretty bad :) On the way out the extreme heat climb was evident as we crossed back over all the streams that were now flowing very rapidly. It was a beautiful weekend to be outside among the mountains!! When we had made our way back out we stopped to have burgers and then 10 minutes later ice cream and headed home.

The boys are behind me!

Swamp Hike

 

After we were all Harry Pottered out (Well not me, I'd live there, but some of the others) we went on a hike my mom found. Initially we planned to go to the Everglades National Park but it was a long drive, the airboat people said that alligators aren't out this time of year and so on. Instead we did a muggy swamp hike that we had zero expectations for. It was amazing! We saw tons of alligators, baby ones 8' long ones. Beautiful birds basking in the sun with their wings out, floating over the water, eating fist size snails and sharing them with their babies. A raccoon even got uncomfortably close to us.

 

 

Once we spotted one alligator it became easier to pick them out of the marshy landscape. You'd notice their eyes and head just above the surface of the thick green surface or spikes of a tail interrupting the still water. My favorite one was where we were pointing one out in the distance and then my sister walks forward and goes OOO and one there don't go there and jumps away from the edge of the water as a giant alligator head was napping a few feet away.

 

Spotting the alligators and birds was really entertaining but not to be lost was the scenery. The thick vegetated bright green floating on the water, the moss dripping from the trees and the blue sky reflecting back the perfect puffy clouds. It is very different from mountain landscapes but there was something very alluring and transportive about it. Despite the mugginess this was one of my favorite parts of the trip, meandering along with my family. For fun, not even 5 minutes after we were in the car, a lighting storm blew in and dumped rain. Agin family vacation was a success!

 

lots of the bird and alligator photos from the Madre.